Website or Facebook page: what a window company actually needs

Plenty of window and glazing businesses run for years on a Facebook page and word of mouth, and some do well. The trouble starts when the referrals slow down. A social page is good at showing recent installs to people who already follow you. It is poor at the moment that matters most: a homeowner who has never heard of you, searching Google for double glazing in their suburb, wanting to check your products, your service area and how to book a measure.

This article sets out what each one does well for a window, door or glazing business in Australia, where the gaps are, and how to split the work between them without posting everything twice. If you are weighing up the cost side, our pricing page sets out exactly what a managed site costs, and what a website costs a window company compares the other ways to pay for one.

Do you need a website if you have a Facebook page?

Use the website as your home base and the social page as a noticeboard that sends people back to it. The website holds the information that doesn’t change week to week: products, frame materials, glass options, service areas, warranty, licence details and the quote form. The social page carries what is new: this week’s installs, a before-and-after, a note that the factory is closed over Christmas.

The reason is ownership. Your domain and website content belong to your business. A social page lives on someone else’s platform, under rules and layouts that can change without asking you.

What a Facebook page does well

A social page is quick, free to set up and good at showing work as it happens. For a glazing business that is worth something.

• Recent jobs. Photos of a stacker door opening a living room to the deck, or a frameless shower screen going in, are easy to post from the van.
• Staying familiar. People who liked your page after a job see your name again when a neighbour asks who did their windows.
• Local groups. Community groups are where many homeowners ask for recommendations, and a page gives people something to tag.
• Messages. Some customers prefer to send a quick message with a photo of a cracked pane rather than fill in a form.

Where does a social page fall short?

The gaps show up when someone is searching, comparing or ready to ask for a proper quote. Those are the moments that turn into window jobs.

Being found on Google

Someone typing “double glazing retrofit” and their suburb into Google is looking for a business that clearly offers that service in that area. A website can have a page for each service and each area you cover, written in the words people search for. A social page gives you one profile and a feed of posts that scroll away.

Mobile matters here. Google uses the mobile version ¹ of a site’s content for indexing and ranking, so a window company site has to work properly on a phone: readable product details, tap-to-call and a form that is easy to fill in with a thumb.

Explaining products

Window buyers compare aluminium, uPVC and timber frames, glass types, opening styles and energy ratings. That needs structured pages with specifications and plain explanations. On a feed, last month’s post about acoustic glass is hard to find.

Taking a quote request that you can price

A website quote form can ask for the things you need before a measure: suburb, number of windows or doors, rough sizes, frame material, whether it is a new build or a replacement, and photos. A social message usually starts with “how much for windows?” and takes several replies to get the same detail.

Control

You can’t choose how a social platform lays out your page, who sees your posts or what sits next to them. Pages can also be restricted or lose access, and your enquiry history goes with them.

Website and Facebook, job by job

Put side by side, the two do different jobs. The chart below rates each channel against the tasks a window company needs done. The ratings are our assessment, not measured data.

Does the answer change for your kind of glazing work?

The balance shifts with who your customers are. A few examples from across the trade:

• Shower screens and splashbacks. Photos sell the work, so social posts earn their keep. The website still needs the colour, hardware and glass options and a way to book a measure.
• Emergency glass repair. People with a smashed window search Google on their phone and call the first business that clearly covers their suburb. The website and Google Business Profile do most of the work; a social page does very little at 9 pm on a Sunday.
• Commercial glazing. Builders and facility managers want capability statements, project lists and compliance documents. That belongs on a website. See websites for commercial glazing contractors.
• Double glazing retrofits. Buyers research for weeks, comparing energy and noise claims. Clear product pages matter more than posting frequency.

How to run both without doubling the work

Post often on social, update the website when something lasting changes, and link the two. That keeps the workload small.

1. Put your website address in the page’s profile details and on the button, pointed at your quote page.
2. When a job is worth showing, post it on social the same day, and add the best photo to the matching gallery on the website each month with a short description.
3. Answer common questions once on the website, then link to that answer when the question comes up in comments.
4. Keep your phone number, hours and service area the same on the website, social page and Google Business Profile.

Expect the search side to take time. Google says some changes take effect in a few hours to several months ² , so a new site is a long-term asset rather than a quick fix. For a list of the pages worth building first, read what a window company website needs.

Four checks to run on your own business

1. Search Google on your phone for your main service and suburb, and note whether your business appears with a page that answers the search.
2. List the questions customers ask before booking a measure. Each one belongs on your website, not only in messages.
3. Check that your social page links to your website and that your contact details match everywhere.
4. If you don’t have a site, decide who will keep it updated. An out-of-date site with last year’s product range does more harm than good.

The bottom line

Keep the Facebook or Instagram page. It is a good noticeboard: quick install photos, familiar faces, easy recommendations. But it is a poor catalogue, a limited quote desk and a weak way to be found by a stranger searching Google for a glazier. Put the lasting information on a website you control, with product pages and a proper quote form, and let every post point back to it.

If you would rather not build and maintain that site yourself, our plan does it for a fixed monthly fee, with hosting and up to five content edits a month included. See the price and what is included, or book a 20-minute call and we will tell you plainly whether a website is worth it for your business yet.